The key to a successful look is to keep things in line with the rest of your look and balance your face. If you want dramatic eyes then avoid dramatic lipstick, on the flip side, if you want dramatic lips avoid dramatic eyes. A perfect example is that nothing looks better with red lips than a simple nude eyeshadow, some dark black eyeliner and a bit of black mascara!

Apply your eye makeup first! Without a doubt, eye makeup is the messiest step in makeup application. If you get your eyeshadow all over you cheeks while brushing it on or blending it in and you have already done your foundation guess what... You get to wash it ALL off and start over! If you start here you can just clean up the mess and move on without much fuss.

Buy some makeup brushes! Throw out the crap that comes with your eyeshadow you just bought. Even if you buy nice makeup the applicators you get with them are cheap and do not work worth a damn. It sounds like a step you can skip but I cannot stress how important this is! If you want good results you need makeup brushes. I have a set of Ecotools brushed that work great and they were not very expensive! The only thing is that this kit I have did not come with a blending brush so you might want to take a trip to Sephora to get one if yours doesn't either.

You can use makeup to transform how you look is some amazing ways; however, for me nothing is more fun then experimenting with different shades of eyeshadow. Once you know the basics you can play with different colors and looks and find what works for you. I hope you learn to love this as much as I have!

The most important thing to know when applying eyeshadow is where to apply the different colors. For this tutorial you should have an eyeshadow brush, blending brush and three different shades if eyeshadow. Try purple, lilac and something just lighter then you skin tone.

Take a look at the diagram below :

As you can see I have broken the entire lid down into 4 main sections: Brown Bone, Crease, Lid, and Lash-line. For know we will assume you want to just put eyeliner on the lash-line so you just need to know where it is. Now let;s move onto the steps, I will list them in the order that I apply my makeup:

How To Apply Your Eyeshadow

Lid -- This zone which extends across your eye lid goes from your lash-line up to your crease. If you are using 3 eyeshadow shades this is where you apply the medium colored eyeshadow (the lilac in our list above). As for how to apply the eyeshadow, I start at the inner corner and sweep outward with a medium sized eyeshadow brush.

If you are just using 2 shades put the darker of the two here and extend it up into the crease.

Crease -- This section of the lid is exactly what it sounds like, the crease of your eye lid. This is where you apply the darkest shade you are wearing (the purple in our list above). I work from the outside in here, kind of pressing the shadow into the crease with a medium sized eyeshadow brush and then blending well with a softer brush. It should be applied in a wedge shape with the fat end on the outside of your eye (see diagram above).

If you are only using two eyeshadow shades this area is kind of merged with the lid.

Brown Bone -- This section extends across the top of your crease to your eyebrow. You will apply the lightest shade eyeshadow here as a highlighter (the light skin tone shade in our list above). Simply sweep across from the inside out with a soft brush.

I have a love hate relationship with eyeliner... i love the way it looks, but I hate putting it on.

Since I have such a hard time with it, I have asked a friend to help me out in writing this tutorial.

The Basics: Types of Eyeliner

Pencil Liner: Gives a smooth softer appearance. It is exactly what it sounds like and you use it as such.

Liquid Liner: Dramatic and precise. Usually comes in a tube with an application.

Gel Liner: Comes in a small container and you use an eyeliner brush to apply it. For me this is the easiest to use. You can use eye shadow in a similar fashion as the gel liner, just use a eyeliner brush.

How To Apply Your Eyeliner

Tilt your head back a bit (this really helps), pull your skin taut, and starting from the inside corner draw a thin line across your lash-line just above your lashes. See image in the eyeshadow section if you are unsure where I am referring to.

This does not need to be done in one single motion. If you have to draw a few short lines do so, just make sure they are even.

If using liquid liner, don’t forget to give it time to dry.

Once your upper lash-lines are done it is time to do the bottom. This time, work from the outside in. Some people do not use eyeliner here; some just on the outer half, and still others (like myself) line the entire lower lash line. This is personal preference and all I can say is try different styles until you find what works for you. I dislike tutorials that say things like, "For people with X shaped eyes do this, but people with Y shaped eyes do it this way." Just do what looks good for you and the only way to know that is to try.

Cat Eye Look: On the upper lash-line, make your line a bit thicker towards the outer corner and extend the line out a bit.

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